ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the textile arts and costuming as individual and communal expressions of identity and inclusion during festival time and space in the Andes. Non-verbal communication relies on the shared Indigenous knowledge of the makers of the garments, textiles, costumes, and cloth as well as active use by participants during performances. The assembly of cloth and adorned parts into a dance costume creates a cultural statement displayed on the three-dimensional form of the human body. The placement on the body involves an understanding of how properly to wrap, fold, and layer specific pieces of cloth. The chapter presents Visual Anthropology and the use of still photography as an ethnographic tool for seeing beyond superficial impressions and a potential missed or misunderstood value of weaving, cloth, and costuming during performances. Specific examples are from many years of ethnographic research on the annual Pentecoste festival in Ollantaytambo, Peru, and the sacred pilgrimage of Qoyllur Rit’i in the Ausangate region of Peru.
